A new development on Auckland’s Great North Road will be solely used for those who need social housing assistance, Social Housing Minister Amy Adams announced today.

“All of the 120 new homes to be built on under-utilised Crown land and adjoining Housing New Zealand land in Great North Road, Waterview, will be social housing. This makes it one of the biggest social housing developments in Auckland,” Ms Adams says.

Housing New Zealand and development partners Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki and Housing for Social Benefits Ltd, a subsidiary of Waipareira Trust, will develop the combined 1.2 hectare site into a mix of one- two- and three-bedroom apartments and townhouses, with the first homes becoming available in late 2018. The entire project, called Waterview Court, will be completed by June 2020.

“These homes are part of the 34,000 new houses the Government is building in Auckland over the next ten years, under the Crown Building Project,” Ms Adams says.

“Half of the land on the Great North Road site was originally held by New Zealand Transport Agency for roading, and the other was an old and dated 20-unit HNZ complex. These two parcels of land will translate into a six-fold increase in social housing at this location, integrated with the local community and delivered to the latest urban design and building specifications.

“This housing development is made possible because of the Crown Land Programme, under which we’re always actively reviewing land held by Crown agencies for public facilities, and whether the land can be better used for housing.

“I look forward to seeing progress at Great North Road and other sites as we transform vacant and under-utilised Crown land into housing, through this smart and innovative programme,” Ms Adams says.